Whispering Wind

Whispering Wind is a short story by Frederick Forsyth which was published in 2001 in the collection The Veteran.

About the book

The book is about a Frontier Scout in the Custer Army during 1876. The army was told to escort the Indians, who had crossed over to other territories for hunting, back to their designated lands. However, the army did not receive clear instructions, and believed that their mission was to kill the Indians.

Chancing upon a small tribe of Indians, with only the women and children, the husbands (warriors) having gone hunting, their extermination was immediate. Craig noticed a girl who was injured in the thigh by a bullet, and instead of killing her, suggested that the girl be sent back for questioning to find out the other tribal locations.

Having knowledge of the Cheyenne dialect, Craig was able to tell General Custer what her details were. Having finished, the soldiers wanted to violate her before finishing her off, but Craig set her on a horse and let her escape back to her own people. This caused him to be set for execution the day after.

However, poor judgement while chasing the Indians the next day ended up with the army being wiped out instead. Ben was taken to the chief Sitting Bull, and he explained what had happened, including the incident of the girl. It turned out that the exterminated tribe of Indians was under the tribal leader named "Tall Elk", and his daughter "Whispering Wind" was the one that Ben had saved. After consultation, Ben was allowed to stay among the Indians, but he could not return for fear of betraying the Indians' location.

Love developed between Ben and Whispering Wind, however, Whispering Wind had already been engaged to another warrior. Determined to defy Tall Elk's wishes, they eloped in the middle of the night, with Ben on his trusty steed, Rosebud, and Whispering Wind on a tribe pony.

As they escaped, a small group of Indians were also sent to pursue them, to bring back Whispering Wind and kill Ben. Ben, capable as he had lived in the wilderness since young, eluded them all the while. At one instance, as he prepared to have sex with Whispering Wind, and make her his, he was chanced upon by an Indian, who told him that the prophecy will be fulfilled, and Whispering Wind rode back to her tribe.

Ben slept, and when he awoke, it was springtime. He believed it to be hibernation, but actually he had slept for a hundred years, and retained his fresh look as always. Worried about the army who was still pursuing him for having let Whispering Wind go, he decided to go downwards, chancing upon a fort. This fort was actually a restored version from the 1800s, but for historical purposes, by Professor John Ingles, who had a deep interest in the culture of Craig's time.

He made use of the fort as his home, keeping Rosebud in the stables, while he survived by hunting in the woods. One day, Ingles returned with visitors, and a re-enactment camp of that time would be conducted to educate the youths. Craig was out hunting then, and was surprised to see his fort being used by the youths. He was taken to Ingles, who mistook him for an actor and allowed him to stay.

However, Craig's ways, e.g. not using the provided showers and wearing only buckskin, unlike people in the 1970s, made people realise that he was for real, which he did confess to Ingles' assistant, Charlotte.

One day, a woman called Linda Pickett came to the fort, who had a strong resemblance to "Whispering Wind". Craig was impressed, and guessed her details with amazing accuracy, including the knowledge of the birthmarks on her thigh, which were actually Whispering Wind's gunshot wounds from the massacre. Amazingly, love also developed between them, and Pickett agreed to marry Ben, but she was already engaged to a powerful man's (Bill Braddock) son. Afraid of seeing her family suffer by incurring Braddock's wrath, she had no choice but to agree.

With Charlotte's help, Craig learnt about what was to happen at the wedding, including a Rodeo. He passed off as one of the performers, and entered the Braddock residence. Just as the nupitals were proceeding, he gatecrashed the wedding, with Rosebud as his accomplice knocking out people who tried to prevent their escape, and escaped with Linda.

Braddock was infuriated. He sent his private army in pursuit of Ben, who managed to dodge for quite a while, wounding Braddock's men in the process. Braddock and his son Kevin pursued him all the way to the base of his hideout, dying in an avalanche that night (as they were intransigent when rangers told them they should go home). He knew it was over when Rosebud died of the cold and exhaustion, and, although was not penned down in the book, he had sex with Linda, ultimately fulfilling the prophecy, that Whispering Wind would be his woman.

The Everywhere Spirit claimed Ben's life the moment it was over, as the prophecy was fulfilled and Ben's body deteriorated instantly, along with Rosebud, making it seem as if he had died during the 1800s. Linda (Now we know that she was a reincarnation of Whispering Wind) was found alive, but in deep hypothermia. In the end, when she went to visit Craig's grave (It was insisted that he had a proper Christian burial), the story ends with us seeing that she was pregnant, most likely with Ben's child. (This leads to the conclusion that the seed of Ben lives on).